. >>> boep benedict xvi says he's resigning the first time in nearly 600 years that a pope stepped down. in the nethder lands beatrix is done being the queen. what about the world's most famous monarch? is 86-year-old queen elizabeth likely to step aside anytime soon? richard is a columnist for the montecito journal. we are so pleased to have you with us. we have heard from the ballast on this issue in pretty broad terms. what are they saying? >> well, at its simplest no. abdication is a tradition in the house of orange, as you say, beatrix is abdicating at the end of april. she's 75. she's been 33 years on the throne. her mother jewel and nanl also abdicated as did her grandmother, wilhel mina. but with the house of windsor abdication is a very dirty word and goes back to 1936 as we all know with king edward viii when he abdicated the british throne to marry the american wallace simpson and since then, abdication is really very much out of the question. >> well, interestingly though, he abdicated to his brother, obviously, and that's how we have queen elizabeth the line of succession.